Dispensing container and lighter assemblage



M. E. BERNHARDT DISPENSING CONTAINER AND LIGHTER ASSEMBLAGE Dec. 31, 1935. v

Filed Feb. 28, 1934 R O m E V W.

NHXEI BER/VHARDT Patented Dec. 31, 1935 F FZSEENSING CQNTAKNER AND LIGHTER ASSEMBLAGE Max E. Bernhardt, New York, N. Y. Application February 28, 1834, Serial No. 713,281

1 Claim.

This invention relates to smokers articles or accessories and has particular referen e to a dispensing container for cigarettes, cigars or analogous articles, and a lighter unit, which container and unit are so combined as to provide a novel and convenient assemblage.

The invention comprehends a combination article dispensing container and lighter unit of the type employing a sparking device for igniting a tinder or wick and which container is provided with a hingedly associated. lid coacting with means for actuating the sparking device of the lighter unit and with means for partially ejecting an article from the container upon each opening of the lid.

The invention also includes a container body defining an annular chamber in which the cigarettes or articles are arranged vertically in a circumferentially disposed row with a follower for advancing the same to successively dispose the endmost article in position to be dispensed by the ejecting means when actuated upon the opening of the lid.

The invention further provides a container and lighter unit of the indica ed character which includes a cover for the article container constituting a mounting for the lighter unit, and which cover is provided with a dispensing opening through which the articles are partially ejected by the opening of a lid for the container which hingedly carried by the cover.

The invention further embodies a container body including means defining with said body an annular chamber for containing the article and with means so constructed and arranged as to partially eject one of said articles from the chamber upon each opening of the lid and which last named means, when the lid is open, may be manually actuated to effect the partial ejection of c additional articles without necessitating the open- Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal view partially in section, taken on the line tl of Fig. 1.

In the present disclosure, the device is shown, 5

described and claimed as a container for cigarettes but it is to be understood that the same may also be adapted for containing cigars or any other analogous or equivalent articles.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, A designates generally a container body which includes a preferably circular bottom Wall id, having an upstanding cylindrical marginal wall H and a depending outwardly flared marginal flange or rim 52 which is provided with a plurality of cushioned feet I3 for direct contact with a. supporting surface to avoid scratching or otherwise marring the same. The bottom wall it; is provided with a central aperture it through which extends the depending hub i5 carried by the bottom wall 56 of a hollow cylindrical member ll located concentrically within the marginal wall ll of the container body A so that a substantially annular chamber 58 is defined within the container body for the reception of a supply of cigarettes or equivalent articles B. The wall H is provided with a radial inwardly projecting vertical rib is located adjacent the front of the device and extending from the bottom wall id to a point spaced slightly below the upper open end of the body, the said rib being formed with a concave cigarette abutment and guide face 26. The member ii is provided with a radial outwardly projecting follower fin 29 which, upon turning movement of the member in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, effects the shifting of the supply of cigarettes in advance thereof so as to dispose the leading cigarette in contact with the abutment and guide face 20.

In order to.provide member ii in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, a coil spring 22 is provided which has one terminal 2-3 anchored to the hub l5 and the other terminal 24 anchored to a depending fixed annular rim 25 of the bottom wall It). cap 26 having an upstanding annular flange 28 surrounding the rim 25 is removably secured to the hub i5 by a threaded stud 21 which is screwed into the hub. The outer periphery of the flange is knurled or serrated as at 29 to provide means 50 for turning the cap and member I? to dispose the follower fin 2i in a retracted position for charging the cigarette chamber "3 and for placing the spring 22 under tension. In order to temporarily hold the member I! with the fin in re- 55 means for turning the A hollow tracted position, while introducing the supply of cigarettes, a suitable detent means is provided which includes a latch element 38 carried by the bottom wall it! and a radial keeper lug 33 provided on the cap flange 23, it being understood that the detent means is manually released after the filling or charging operation.

The upper open end of the container body A is closed by a removable cover 32 which is provided with a delivery opening 33 disposed in alignment with the leading cigarette B. In order to provide means for partially ejecting the endmost cigarette through the delivery opening 33, to facilitate its manual withdrawal, an ejector spring 34 is employed, one terminal 35 of which is anchored to the container body A. The spring 35 extends around the inner surface of the wall H and through a slot 39 in the rib l9, and is attached to the lower end of an actuator rod 31 which has vertical guided movement in a bore 38 in the rib and protrudes upwardly therefrom through the cigarette delivery opening 33 which is of a sufficient size to accommodate the rod and the manipulator head 39 at its upper end whereby the cover 32 may be readily removed. The free terminal "iii of the ejector spring 3 5 protrudes through a slot i! in the rib 19 which opens through the abutment and guide face 26. It will be understood that the slots 36 and M communicate with the bore 38 of the rib. The upper end of the slot 4! also functions as a stop for limiting the upward movement of the ejector spring and its terminal to.

When the actuator rod 3? is depressed, the terminal ii} of the ejector spring is disposed in a recess in the bottom wall it with the upper surface of the terminal flush with the upper surface of the bottom wall and in position for the endmost cigarette to be moved onto the terminal so that the upward movement of the ejector spring causes the terminal 48 to lift and partially project the upper end of the cigarette from the container body where it protrudes through the delivery opening 33. During the ejection of the cigarette, it is guided in its movement by the member H, the wall I l, the face 20 of the rib l9 and the next adjacent cigarette.

The device or accessory further includes a lighter unit, designated generally by the reference character 0, which is mounted on the cover 32, the depending portions of which extend into and are accommodated by the hollow member H. The lighter unit may be of any standard type and as shown embodies a wick L protruding from the upper end of a fuel container 28 and a sparki device including a pyrop horic element ii and a friction wheel is adapted to be turned in one direction by an actuator arm iii, through the medium of a ratchet 58 and ratchet teeth 5! on the friction wheel. which arm, after being moved past a dead center line indicated at :t-;I:, is then swung to the limit of its movement by a coil contractile spring 52. The lighter unit may also include the usual snuifer 53 movable by the actuator arm to and from a covering position with reference to the wick 45.

The device or accessory further includes a lid 55 which is hinged as at 56, preferably to the cover 32 and which is designed to be swung to and from a closed position with reference to the container body. The lid carries suitable means such as a depending trip 51 which engages with and moves the actuator arm 49 of the lighter unit against the tension of the spring 5? to a position rearwardly past dead center for causing the sparking device to function to ignite the wick as the snuifer is raised.

The outer end 58 of the actuator arm engages the inner surface 59 of the lid 55 and rides thereover until the notched portion 60 of the arm engages a stop lug 5| as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, which limits the opening movement of the lid. This disposes the outer end 58 in juxtaposition to the inner surface 59 of the lid so that said surface functions as a cam to swing the actuator arm forwardly past dead center when the lid is closed. It will also be observed that the tension of the spring 52 is exerted on the actuator arm d9 which in turn engages with the trip 5'! so as to resiliently retain the lid in closed relation.

The lid 55 is also provided with means such as the depending foot 62 which, upon movement of the lid to closed position, engages with the manipulator head 39 of the actuator rod 31 for depressing the ejector spring 34 and for disposing the terminal it in flat contact with the bottom wall I6. It, therefore, follows that each time the lid 55 is open, a cigarette is presented through the delivery opening and the lighter unit wick is ignited. It is, of course, apparent that after the lid has ben opened, any number of cigarettes may be delivered by manually depressing the manipulator head 39 of. the actuator rod 31 thereby avoiding the necessity of opening and closing the lid 55 for obtaining additional cigarettes.

What is claimed is:

In a smokers accessory, a container having its upper end open, a tubular member rotatably mounted within the container to form a circular well and defining with the container an annular chamber for a supply of cigarettes, a lighter unit including a sparking device, a fuel reservoir and a wick, a mounting for said lighter unit disposed in covering relation with the open end of said container with the fuel reservoir and wick projecting downwardly into said well, said mounting having a dispensing opening therein, means for rotating the tubular member for moving the supply of cigarettes to successively dispose the same in position to be dispensed, a lid hingedly associated with the container, means coacting with the lid for actuating the sparking device to effect the ignition of the wick upon each opening of the lid and ejector means coacting with and functioning upon each opening of. the lid to partially eject a cigarette through the dispensing openings.

' MAX E. BERNHARDT. 

